


Searching for Treasures and the Meaning of Life

by HighlyOpinionatedNerd



Category: Star Wars
Genre: I hope you like it, it gets kinda Indiana Jones for a bit but that's ok, profanity warning, real world profanity and in-universe profanity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-10-05 23:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10320329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighlyOpinionatedNerd/pseuds/HighlyOpinionatedNerd
Summary: Lando convinces Han to join him on an unconventional treasure hunt. Along the way, Han has a mini existential crisis.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The following work is based on the piece The Submerged Cathedral by Claude Debussy, which was inspired by an ancient Breton legend about a magical cathedral off the coast of the island Ys.

Han hadn’t realized that this planet would be so cold. A nice-looking planet with lots of green vegetation and vibrant blue seas, he had expected the weather to be tropical, mild at the very least. 

It was not. It was fucking cold. Even after all this time the universe was still finding ways to keep him on his toes. Sometimes he wished it wouldn’t.

He was standing on a beach, boots leaving scuffed imprints in the wet, packed sand. A pink tinge to the horizon let him know that dawn was coming, but it hadn’t fully broken yet. A few stars were still visible in the pale blue sky above. The waves washing rhythmically over the shore seemed remarkably quiet to him, but he figured hey, it’s not like he was a beach expert or anything. 

Chewie was nearby, watching the waves. He was not cold. Must be nice. Lando was also nearby, wearing one of his ridiculous flashy outfits. Han assumed that he was probably at least a little cold, but even if he was he would never let it show. 

It was because of Lando that Han and Chewie and the Falcon were on this planet in the first place. Ys, it was called. Lando had heard tell of a local legend, about an ancient building that supposedly contained a great treasure. The legend also said that the building was submerged beneath the sea most of the time, but twice a day it somehow rose to the surface and could be seen from the shore. Lando had decided that he wanted to try and claim the treasure, and that he wanted Han to come along to help him out. 

“What kind of treasure?” Han had asked when Lando had first told him the story. Apparently no one knew.

“How does it rise up and then sink again?” A mystery. A secret that had been lost along with whatever ancient civilization had built the thing.

“Why hasn’t anyone gone to get this treasure before now?” Well, they had. Of course they had. But they’d all died.

“Couldn’t they have just, y’know, waited til morning and then left again? What killed them?” He wasn’t sure, but he had a theory that overnight, the mysterious building sank so deep in the sea that the pressure would kill anyone left inside. That or maybe it just flooded and drowned them all.

Great. Risk your neck Han, try to get inside a building that will try to drown you, just because a bunch of yokels told your friend that there might be treasure inside. Sounds great, right, what’s not to like?

Han really hadn’t wanted to do it. He prefered to be able to see his targets with his own two eyes. But Lando had kept bugging him, and Chewie wasn’t adamantly against it, so here they were. The Falcon had landed on the beach not two hours ago, and now they waited in the cold for a sign of the fabled building to appear. 

Why exactly hadn’t Han made more time to visit some good beaches over the years? Beaches that were warm and attracted young girls in not a lot of clothing. Shit, he though, he might really be missing out on something. He made up his mind to take a beach vacation as soon as they left Ys, preferably with a fat payout from this treasure Lando had brought them here to find.

As if he could hear Han’s train of thought, Lando spoke into the cold, still air. “I wonder what kind of treasure it is,” he said.

Han shrugged. “Who cares, as long as we get paid for it?”

“I guess you’re right. But I’m curious anyway. Maybe it’ll be something really old and rare, and a museum somewhere will pay us a cruiser-load to put it on display.”

“What did you say this place is called, again?”

“A cathedral. It means a place of worship.” Lando explained.

“Worship, huh. Do you really think that anyone is still interested in the primitive gods of a backwater planet like this?”

“Hey, you never know. We might strike out, or we might strike it rich here. Either way there’s only one way to find out.”

They lapsed back into silence. Ys’ sun slowly began to rise properly over the horizon, doing absolutely nothing to warm Han up or to dissipate the early morning mist surrounding everything. 

There was no change out in the sea either. Han was getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of mystical floating buildings out there. “Listen Lando,” he said irritatedly, “are you sure that-”

Chewie cut him short with an urgent howl. Han quickly turned his attention back towards the sea, and suddenly there it was. A thin, pointy spire, rising slow and silent out of the waves. Lando crowed in triumph, pumping a fist in the air. Well stang, Han thought, it’s real after all.

The single spire rose higher and higher, and eventually more began to appear. Spiraling towers and soaring arches followed. 

Han wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this. This wasn’t just any ordinary building, it was… well, huge for one thing. Ridiculously ornate, for another. Somehow the notion that there was treasure hidden inside didn’t seem so hard to believe. 

“Look!” Lando said excitedly, pointing. The building rose far enough out of the water to reveal an enormous doorway. A path became visible too, white stones just beneath the surface of the waves, leading from the door to the shore almost directly in front of them.

Lando took off immediately, running across the wet sand towards the path with zero hesitation. Han huffed exasperatedly, but he followed anyway. “Stay here and keep a lookout, Chewie,” he called out over his shoulder. The wookie didn’t seem thrilled at the prospect, but reluctantly agreed.

Han and Lando ran along the walkway, their boots splashing through the water. However, even as they moved towards the doorway, it began to sink again. The solid stone under their feet slowly dropped away, making each step more and more difficult.

Lando, who was in the lead, barely reached the door in time. He forcibly wrenched it open and ducked through, managing to hold it ajar just long enough for Han to dive through. 

Han landed on his side in a puddle of cold water, skidding a little across a hard, unforgiving floor. “Oof,” he said loudly. This adventure was off to a great start.

He stood up slowly, habitually checking to make sure nothing was broken or displaced. Aside from a few bruises, he was unscathed. He then turned his attention to their surroundings for the first time.

The giant doors had sealed themselves automatically behind him, and the building- the cathedral- continued sinking slowly back beneath the surface of the waves. The only light came from the windows, but there were plenty of those, even on the ceiling. Pale morning sunlight was everywhere, dancing off the water outside.

The room he and Lando found themselves in was absolutely huge. It was all one room from the floor to the top of one of the spires above. The floor and the walls were decoratively inlaid with a strange, amber colored stone that glittered like a gem. The sunlight made it sparkle, giving the impression that they were surrounded by gold. The ceiling bore countless images, none of which either of the young men fully understood; images of strange humanoid beings, all of them with wild hair and wide eyes, holding flowers or large seashells or bowls of clear blue water.

“Wow,” was all Lando said. He seemed delighted by all of it, dazzled by each new sight.

Han rolled his eyes. Still, he did have to admit that even he was at least a little impressed. Who knew how old this stuff was? It might even have been built by hand. He couldn’t imagine being so dedicated to an idea that he’d want to build something huge like this to showcase it, let alone doing it with his own two hands. 

“We don’t have a lot of time, Lando,” he called. “Let’s find this treasure already.”

“Oh, you’re right,” Lando said. He pulled a chronometer from a pocket and clicked it once. “We’ve got about two standard hours before the doors open again, but if we miss the timing we’re gonna be in deep trouble.” He chuckled. “No pun intended there. Deep trouble, haha.”

Han got out his commlink and checked in with Chewie, just to make sure the big guy wouldn’t worry too much about them. “Two hours, pal,” he told his friend, “we’ll be back soon. Let us know if anything happens on the outside.”

There were several different exits, all of which appeared to lead down long halls, deeper into the cathedral. They agreed that any special ancient treasure was most likely to be right in the center, beneath the tallest spire, so they headed off in the straightest direction that they could.

As they walked, they eventually became aware of a strange, rhythmic and vaguely mechanical ticking noise. It reminded Han of the thrumming of a large ship’s engine. He had no doubt that the noise belonged to the machine that had kept the cathedral in perpetual motion all this time. 

He found himself wishing for the chance to get a good look at that machinery. No doubt it was incredibly intricate and advanced. What exactly had happened to this ancient civilization again? How could they be so advanced as to create something like this cathedral only to die out mysteriously soon after, disappearing without a trace?

They kept sinking. The only view through the windows now was an endless expanse of cloudy blue water. The light that filtered through the sea and inside the cathedral was dappled and shifting, never still. There were more paintings along the walls in the long winding corridors, and the underwater light almost made it seem like they were moving.

Han was kinda disturbed by all of it. He checked his chronometer frequently, and he moved as quietly as possible, his guard always up. He noticed that Lando didn’t look uneasy at all; in fact, he seemed to be enjoying this.

They walked side by side for almost an hour, totally lost but not willing to admit it, relying solely on instinct to remember which way they had come from. 

Lando pointed out a particular painting, one that depicted a woman surrounded by flowers. Her hands were spread wide and there was a serene look on her face. “Look at that. It’s like, all of this planet was sacred to them. And they were all connected through it,” he said, gesturing widely to take in the rest of the paintings surrounding them. “Kinda makes you wonder what it’s like to be a part of something like that, eh?”

Han made a noncommittal noise. Lando had said it jokingly, but in fact Han had actually wondered about that before. More times than he’d like to admit, even to himself.

Sure he’d had it rough growing up, but he’d always told himself that he wouldn’t let it affect his life. That he was in control. But the truth was, sometimes he was afraid that it was still affecting him. Holding him back, keeping him from being able to trust people, to interact like a normal person.

It had used to bother him quite a lot. Not being normal. Looking back, that was probably one of the main reasons he had joined the Imperial Army in the first place. To be part of something bigger. Maybe if he’d looked a little closer, he’d have been able to tell what kind of ‘something’ the Empire really was, and he wouldn’t have had to leave in disgrace in the middle of the night. 

The dappled underwater light flickered across image after image of a civilization long dead. What would the Empire be remembered for, he wondered, centuries from now when it was all over? When the Emperor was dead. When all the star destroyers were grounded or destroyed. When the Academy he had attended was deserted.

And what would come after? The Empire had been there basically as long as Han could remember. Would Chewie’s people be free? Would there be another government, another dictator, or would every planet just… be in charge of itself? Like he was, living from day to day outside of any law. Could star systems function like that?

He shook his head. He was getting way too deep with this. What right did a smuggler and an outlaw have to contemplate galactic politics, anyway?! Besides, it was highly unlikely that he’d be around to see any of it. Even if he was, he probably wouldn’t be involved in it. He’d tried that once already and he’d got burned. He wasn’t in any rush to do it again.

...It must have been nice to have lived on this planet in its heyday. None of the people in the paintings were sad, or angry, or worried about the government catching them and throwing them in jail or executing them. They really were all connected, and they seemed to be at peace.

Lando nudged him with an elbow. “Hey, look there!”

Han blinked, his mind returning to the present. Ahead of them, the hallway they were walking down ended, leading into another room like the one they had come in through. The only difference was that this room was (it hardly seemed possible) even bigger and grander than the first one. The whole area gleamed like a gemstone. The architecture was elaborately carved and decorated, and the art that had followed them everywhere was meticulously detailed and colorful.

Right in the center was a carved pedestal almost as tall as a man, and on the pedestal was a large stone bowl.

“Oh kriff, there it is!” Han exclaimed. He had started to believe they’d never find it. They ran the rest of the way to the pedestal and peered excitedly into the bowl.

Their excitement was, unfortunately, short lived.

“Are these...seeds?” Han asked incredulously. “These are fucking seeds, Lando. Plant seeds.”

Lando stared into the bowl, which was indeed filled almost to the brim with large brown seeds. “What the fuck?” he said, with feeling. He seemed to be taking their presence on the pedestal as a personal insult.

Han crossed his arms. “We should have known that we’d find something like this here. Shoulda been able to guess from all these paintings everywhere that these people would consider seeds to be a treasure.”

“Mmmmmmm,” was Lando’s only response. He was glaring at the seeds. “You know what, screw this,” he said eventually, throwing his arms in the air expressively. He placed his hands on the bowl, testing its weight. “Let’s just take ‘em anyway. Who knows, we might be able to-”

The moment that he lifted the bowl from the pedestal, a deafening metallic clang echoed throughout the cathedral. The ticking, which had been in the background for so long that it had become easy to ignore, suddenly amplified and accelerated.

“What’s going on?” Han said loudly, his ears ringing.

Lando was frozen with the bowl in his hands, his eyes wide. “Um,” he said, “do you think that maybe the cathedral is speeding up its cycle of raising and sinking? Like, like it’s trying to trap us in here?”

“Move!” Han yelled. “Move, Lando, go go go!” He activated his comlink as he started to dash back the way they had come and shouted into it. “Change of plans, Chewie, we’re on our way back out now, right now!”

Han ran as fast as he could through the halls. In his panic, the painted people on the walls seemed to sneer maliciously at him. How could he ever have thought that those things looked peaceful? 

Lando was running too; Han could hear him, but not see him. He risked a glance over his shoulder just to make sure that his friend was actually following him. “Lando, forget the damn seeds! Run faster!”

Lando was hugging the entire bowl of seeds to his chest as he ran down the hall, leaving a trail of the brown pods behind him on the gilded floors. “No! We can’t leave without these” he yelled, breathing hard.

Han swore, but didn’t argue further. There was no point. He kept going. 

By the time that the entrance came into view, it was already above the surface of the water. And then it started to sink again. Han swore again, very loudly, and put everything he had into a final burst of speed, but it was painfully clear to him that he wasn’t going to make the door in time.

However, before the seals on the door had a chance to activate and trap them inside, the door was opened from the outside. Chewbacca’s head appeared in the doorway. He groaned with the effort of holding the door open, then yowled at Han and Lando to hurry up.

They barely made it out in time, but somehow they did make it out. The stone path beneath their feet left them up to their calves in the cold water of Ys’ sea, and it was rapidly sinking further. Lando held the bowl protectively above his head. 

Han squinted up at the sun, now fully above the horizon and shining brightly, but not doing anything whatsoever to alleviate the cold. “Thanks, Chewie. Thanks for nothing, Lando.” 

“Hey buddy, don’t be like that! We don’t know for sure that this bowl isn’t actually full of treasure yet. Look on the bright side, huh?”

 

The seeds were not, in fact, treasure. Han, Lando, and Chewie tried everywhere they could think of, but none of the brokers they knew were even remotely interested in the ancient objects of a primitive, dead religious order. 

Eventually, they managed to sell the seeds to a medical research facility in a nearby system. Han and Chewie’s shares of the profits were barely enough to cover their travel expenses to Ys, and Han was livid. He shouted at Lando for a solid ten minutes and dumped him off the Falcon at the earliest possible opportunity. 

Chewie tried to persuade Han that it wasn’t all Lando’s fault, but Han was deaf to it. He was pretty sure the only thing that could convince him to work with Lando again was a death threat.

“Strap in, copilot,” he told his wookie friend. “We’re going on vacation.”

**Author's Note:**

> I like the idea of Han being troubled by his past, especially his time with the Empire. I also really like the idea of a younger Lando being exuberant and optimistic. Needless to say this was fun to write. I highly encourage you to check out Debussy's The Submerged Cathedral, it's a cool piece. Thanks for reading!


End file.
